(Phrasal Verbs Part1: A-G)
Some of verbs in English are phrasal verbs. What are they actually?
Phrasal verbs are idiomatic expressions, combining verbs and prepositions to make new verbs whose meaning is often not obvious from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. They are widely used in both written and spoken English, and new ones are formed all the time as they are a flexible way of creating new terms. Here are some phrasal verbs, they will be arranged alphabetically.
A
abide by :
respect or obey. (the law, a decision, a rule)
e.g. If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.
account for :
explain, give a reason
e.g. I hope you can account for the money you spent!
add up :
make sense, seem reasonable
e.g. Her story just doesn't add up.
advise against :
recommend not doing something
e.g. The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads.
agree with :
have the same opinion as somebody else.
e.g. I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.
aim at:
point something in the direction of a target
e.g. The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker.
allow for:
take into consideration, include in a calculation
e.g. You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams.
answer back:
reply rudely
e.g. Don't answer back your mother!
appeal to:
1) plead or make an earnest request
2) be attractive or interesting
e.g. 1) The organizers appealed to the crowd to stay calm.
2) A trekking holiday doesn't appeal to me.
apply for :
make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan etc.)
e.g. He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper.
avail (oneself) of :
take advantage of something (an opportunity)
e.g. When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares.
B
back away:
move backwards, in fear or dislike
e.g. When he saw the dog, he backed away.
back down:
withdraw, concede defeat
e.g Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building.
back up:
1) give support or encouragement
2) make a copy of (file, program, etc.)
e.g. 1) If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up?
2) It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location.
bail out:
1) pay money to secure someone's release
2) rescue from financial difficulties
e.g. 1) When he was arrested, his family refused to bail him out.
2) The government bailed out the bank.
bank on:
base your hopes on someone/something
e.g. Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help.
beef up:
improve, make more substantial
e.g. He beefed up his presentation with diagrams and statistics.
black out:
faint, lose consciousness
e.g. When he fell off the horse he blacked out.
block off:
Separate using a barrier.
e.g. The area was blocked off during the demonstration.
blow up:
1) explode;
2) be destroyed by an explosion
e.g. 1) The terrorists said the bomb would blow up at 9 o'clock.
2) The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it.
boil down to:
be summarized as
e.g. The problem boils down to a lack of money.
boot up:
start a computer by loading an operating system or program.
e.g. Just give my a few minutes to boot up the computer.
break away:
escape from captivity
e.g. A few horses broke away from the paddock.
break down:
1) go out of order, cease to function
2) lose control of one's emotions
e.g. 1) John's car broke down so he had to take the bus.
2) The parents broke down when they heard the bad news.
break into:
enter by force
e.g. Burglars broke into the house around midnight.
break out:
start suddenly
e.g. Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.
break out of:
escape from a place by force
e.g. Three prisoners broke out of jail.
break up:
come to an end (marriage, relationship)
e.g. After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London.
bring up :
raise (a child)
e.g. She stopped working in order to bring up her children.
brush up on:
improve, refresh one's knowledge of something
e.g. Mary had to brush up on her Spanish before going to South America.
bump into :
meet by accident or unexpectedly
e.g. Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.
burn out:
1) stop (something) working
2) become exhausted from over-working
e.g. 1) The fuse has burnt out.
2) Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down.
butt in (on sthg):
interrupt impolitely
e.g. It's rude to butt in on a conversation like that!
C
call back:
return a phone call
e.g. I'll call you back as soon as possible.
call off:
cancel
e.g. The meeting was called off because of the strike.
call on/upon sby:
formally invite or request
e.g. I now call upon the President to address the assembly.
calm down:
become more relaxed, less angry or upset
e.g. He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down.
carry on :
continue
e.g. He carried on gardening in spite of the rain.
carry out:
1) do something as specified (a plan, an order, a threat)
2) perform or conduct (test, experiment)
e.g. 1) The plan was carried out to perfection.
2) Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug.
carry over:
postpone until later
e.g. As regards holidays, can you carry over any days from one year to the next?
check in:
register at a hotel or airport
For security reasons, you have to check in two hours before your flight.
check out:
1) pay one's bill and leave (a hotel)
2) investigate
e.g. 1) Is Mr. Blair still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning.
2) I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out.
clam up:
refuse to speak
e.g. When the teacher arrived, she clammed up.
clamp down:
on act strictly to prevent something
e.g. The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places.
close down:
stop operating (company, restaurant, cinema).
When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs.
come across:
1) find by chance
2) appear, seem, make an impression
e.g. 1) Julie came across some photographs of her grandparents in the attic.
2) The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview.
come forward:
present oneself
e.g. The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.
come up:
against be faced with or opposed by
e.g. The project came up against a lot of criticism.
conk out
1) stop working
2) stop or fall asleep (from exhaustion)
e.g. 1) The car conked out on the motorway.
2) He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV.
count on:
rely or depend on (for help)
e.g. I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre.
cross out:
remove by drawing a line through
e.g. In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word.
cut down:
on reduce in number or size
e.g. The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.
cut out
1) remove using scissors
2) stop doing something
e.g. 1) She cut out a picture in a magazine.
2) I'm going to cut out eating between meals.
D
deal with
handle, take care of (problem, situation)
e.g. The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers.
die down:
calm down, become less strong
e.g. When the applause died down, she started to sing.
do without:
manage without
e.g. The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar.
drag on:
last longer than expected
e.g. We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on!
draw up:
write (contract, agreement, document)
e.g. An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties.
dress up:
1) wear elegant clothes
2) disguise oneself
e.g. 1) Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country?
2) Children love to dress up at Halloween.
drop in:
visit, usually on the way somewhere
e.g. I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school.
drop off:
1) deliver someone or something
2) fall asleep
e.g. 1) I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like.
2) Granddad often drops off in front of the TV.
drop out:
leave school without finishing
e.g. She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term.
E
ease off:
reduce, become less severe or slow down (pain, traffic, work)
e.g. After Christmas the workload generally eases off.
end in :
finish in a certain way; result in
e.g. Their marriage ended in divorce.
end up :
finally reach a state, place or action
e.g. If he continues his misconduct he'll end up in prison.
even out :
1) eliminate differences of opinion.
2) become level or regular
e.g. 1) After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences.
2) The road was evened out to make it safer.
F
fall through :
fail; doesn't happen
e.g. Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm.
figure out :
understand, find the answer
e.g. I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves.
fill out :
complete (a form/an application)
e.g. Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
find out :
discover or obtain information
e.g. I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts.
focus on :
concentrate on something
e.g. The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product.
figure out :
understand; find a solution
e.g. We'll have to figure out a way to deliver the goods faster.
G
get along (with) :
be on good terms; work well with
e.g. I get along (well) with my mother-in-law.
get at :
imply
e.g. What exactly are you trying to get at?
get away :
escape
e.g. The robbers got away in a black car.
get by :
manage to cope or to survive
e.g. It's difficult to get by on a low salary.
get in :
enter
e.g. How did the burglar get in?
get into (+noun):
enter
e.g. How did the burglar get into the house?
get off :
1) leave (bus, train, plane)
2) remove
e.g. 1) You should get off the bus at Trafalgar Square.
2) She can't get the stain off her sweater.
get on:
board (bus, train, plane)
e.g. You can pay when you get on the bus.
get on with (something) :
continue to do; make progress
e.g. Be quiet and get on with your homework.
get on (well) with (somebody) :
have a good relationship with
e.g. I get on very well with my colleagues.
get out :
leave
e.g. How did he get out?
get out of (+noun) :
leave
e.g. How did he get out of the house?
get out of :
avoid doing something
e.g. Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework.
get over :
recover from (illness, disappointment)
e.g. My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it.
get rid of :
eliminate
e.g. It's difficult to get rid of old habits.
get together :
meet each other
e.g. Let's get together for lunch on day.
get up :
rise, leave bed
e.g. I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
give up :
stop doing something
e.g. Sarah gave up smoking 5 years ago.
go through :
experience
e.g. Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident.
grow up :
spend one's childhood; develop; become an adult
e.g. He grew up in a small village in the mountains.
There they are. Hope it'll be useful.
At last, keep your spirit!
Keep trying on
learning English anytime, anywhere.
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